Pin and socket connector assembly



PIN AND SOCKET CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed June 10, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. GLENWOOD A. FULLE R M W W Nov. 22, 1966 O G. A. FULLER 3,

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(nmwooo A. FULL R BY Nov. 22, 1966 G. A. FULLER 3,286,671

PIN AND SOCKET CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed June 10, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5INVEN TOR.

6L EHWOOD A FULLE R Nov. 22, 1966 G. A. FULLER 3,286,671

PIN AND SOCKET CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed June 10, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4m2 INVENTOR.

k C 132 3? I LENWoou A. FULLER Nov. 22, 1966 G. A. FULLER PIN AND SOCKETCONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed June 10, 1965 5 Sheets-$heet 5 I'll!ll'""'I,""lll'illlln 19 I60 M's INVENTOR. G'LENWooD A. FULLER to contacteach other under substantial pressure.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,286,671 Patented-Nov. 22, 1966 3,286,671PIN AND SOCKET CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Glenwood A. Fullenflershey, Pa.,assignmto AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed June 10, 196.3, Ser.No. 286,725 Claims. (Cl. 113-119) This invention relates to an improvedpin and socket assembly for use in connectingelectricalcircuit paths.

In an efiort to provide a lowresistance, stable electrical connection ofcircuit paths having a disconnect function, workers have, over theyears, turned again and again to the pin and socket construction whereinone or the other of the connector members is comprised of aplurality ofresilient finger members suitably deformed to engage the other memberunder spring pressure. The early effort of W. D. Weir in US. Patent No.840,537, shows one example of this. The somewhat later effort of H. F.Wilhelm in US. Patent No. 1,833,145, represents an improvement on Weir.Later efforts such as evidenced by US. Patent No. 2,393,083, to 0. H.Weisgarver, and US. Patent No. 2,455,764, toP. J. Bach et al., representstill further improvements and adaptations of the princi-ple tospecialized applications.

Connectors of the above type have numerous advantages in addition toproviding a superior electrical connection with a disconnect function.One of the principal additional advantages is that manufacturing and.use tolerance deviation, with respect to the interm ating of parts, isbroadened such that production and wear differences in the positions andsizes of relative parts are inherently accommodated by thecharacteristics of connector design. Thus, if the pin member to beinserted in a given socket member is slightly smaller or larger thanoptimum due to production tolerance deviation, a good connection maynevertheless be made if the relaxed diameter of the spring part is madesuch that the maximum tolerance deviation cannot cause the parts .tofail l The same is true with respect to placement of the cooperatingconnector parts, especially in multiple mounting wherein no oneconnector half can be exactly :placed with respect to complementinghalves.

The present invention constitutes an improvement over the abovementioned prioriart, especially with regard to -multiple mounting and tominiatureconnectors. As will .be appreciated by those skilled in theart, the smaller the ,particular component or .part being manufactured,the more diflicult tolerance control becomes. Thus, forexample if a pinand socket intermating diameter is nominally two hundred mils, a'controlto fivepercent accuracy permits a tolerance deviation of ten mils, whichis relatively easy to maintain with. existing manufacturing equipment.The same is true with .respect to techniques .utilized in moldingplastic blocks for housing connector parts wherein the center-to-centerspacing can'be readily controlled to a tolerance deviation of fivepercent. The developing use of smaller and smaller electronic componentsasfor so-called microminiature devices has, however, soreducednominalconnector dimensions and center-to-center spacing of partsas to aggravateproduction problems. Additionally, with. respect to thesmaller sizes,

it has been found difficult to.provide connector spring members whichwill withstand repeated engagements and at the same time provide lowresistance, stable electrical paths between signal conductors.Specifically, with respect to the pin and socket type construction ofthe prior art, problems have been encountered with devices of the typeshown in Weir, Wisegarver and Bach, with respect to the insertion andwithdrawal forces involved. Because of the construction thereinutilized, with respect to connectors wherein the pin diameter may be onthe order of twenty-five to thirty mils, insertion and withdrawal forces[have resulted in connector part breakage or, in certain instances,electrical connection failure within the component linkedtto theconnector due to strains transmitted thereto. With connectors ofthe typeshown in the Wilhelm patent and in certain other devices wherein thespring socket is .made of independent spring members ,ing means.

It is a further object of the inventiontoprovide a novel method ofmanufacturing a pin and socket connector wherein an improved springresiliency is inherently built into the connector.

Itis yet a further object of the invention to provide an improved pinand socket connector of simple and inexpensive construction, with the.parts thereof adapted to facilitate assembly.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved pin andsocket connector adaptablefor use with smaller size conductors to meethigh density .wiring vrequirements.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a novel pin andsocket connector in conjunction with an improved mounting means wherebyuse ofthe connector is facilitated, particularly with respect to thesmaller sizes.

Other objects and attainments of thepresent invention will becomeapparent to those skilledvin the art upon a reading of the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of theinvention; it is,to beunderstood, however, that these embodiments arenot intended tobe exhaustive nor limiting of the invention, but aregivenfor purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in theart may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof andthe manner of applyingitin practical use so that they may modify it invarious forms, each as maybe best suited to the conditions of aparticularuse.

,In the drawings;

FIGURE lis aperspective view of a multiple component interconnectionassembly employing the .novel pin and socket construction of. theinvention;

FIGURE 2 is aparti al perspective of theunderside of the assembly ofFIGURE l, rotated one hundred and eighty degrees;

FIGURE 3 is anelevation of the assembly ofFIGURE .1, taken along lines3-3;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged elevation of one embodiment of the inventionshowing a single component pin and mating socket in conjunction withmounting means therefor,,partiallysectioned and aligned forinterconnection;

FIGURE 4a is an enlarged view ofthelocking feature of the mounting meansas shownin FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 5' is an enlarged, vpartially sectioned, .el'evation of theassembly of FIGUREA, with the pin member inserted within the mountingsocket in conj-unctiotn with a completed tcrmi-na tiont-o an auxiliarycircuit path;

,FIGURE 6 is anenlargedperspective of one embodiment of the novel springconstruction of invention;

FIGURE 7 is. a right handed end-on view of the spring construction showninFIGU RE 6, somewhat reduced;

FIGURE 8 is a planyiew of sheet inetalstock material prepared inaccordance with themethod of the invention to form the spring shown inFIGURE 10;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional elevation of the sheet metal stock material ofFIGURE 8 following a further step of the method of the invention inpreparation of the spring member of the invention;

FIGURE is a view of the spring member of the invention as finallyformed;

FIGURES 11, 12 and 13 are plan, sectional elevation, and plan views,respectively, of a further embodiment of the spring member of theinvention in various degrees of construction;

FIGURES 14, 15 and 1 6 are plan, sectional elevation, and plan views ofyet a further embodiment of the invention in various degrees ofconstruction;

FIGURE 16a is a right handed end-on view of the spring member of FIGURE16;

FIGURES 17, 18 and 19 are plan, sectional elevation,

and plan views, respectively, of a still further embodiment of theinvention in accordance with preferred steps of construction; and

FIGURE 20 is an elevation, partially sectioned, of the embodiment shownin FIGURES 17, 18 and 19, in use.

The foregoing objects are attained in the present invention through theuse of a novel pin and socket construction wherein the forming of eitherthe male or female members of the invention is accomplished in a mannerwherein desired spring resiliency is built into such member as it isformed into its final configuration. In conjunction with this, theinvention contemplates a construction permitting the same basic materialstructure formed ior one range of conductor sizes to be utilizeddirectly in forming connectors for other ranges of conductor sizes. Theangular arrangement and working face disposition of the spring membersof the connector of the invention are made such that insertion andwithdrawal axial forces are not excessive, yet at the same timesubstantial radial spring forces are developed to maintain the necessaryinter-face between connector parts.

Turning now to the description of the invention, FIG- URE 1 shows theedge end of an assembly for interconnecting individual groups ofelectronic components in 'a manner whereby packaging density andreplacement is tacil-itated. Each group of components may be consideredas mounted in one module 10, of which numbers of such modules areadapted to be plugged into in an appropriate position in an insulatingboard member 12. Each module 10 includes a number of projectingconductive pin members 14 extending from within the module connected tocomponents therein and projecting from beneath the module to cooperatewith conductive socket receptacles 16 aligned in the pattern of the pinmembers to intermate therewithin. The projecting pin members 14 andsockets 16 are arranged so that the placement of the center row of pinsand sockets provides keying for proper module orientation. In thismanner, modules are mechanically and electrically connected to board 12.

Electrical interconnection between components within a given module 10and/or between modules, or between a module and an outside electricalcircuit path, is accomplished by individual conductive paths extendingbetween sockets 16 via conductive metal post members 18 on the undersideotf board 12, as shown in FIGURE 2. Thus, for example an interconnectionbetween components within module 10, is made by providing a conductivepath extending between the particular posts 18 connected to suchcomponents through corresponding pin members 14. An interconnectionbetween modules 10 and 10a is pro vided by extending conductive pathsbetween a post or posts 18 and a post or posts 18a. Similarly,interconnection between a given module such as 18b and external circuitsis accomplished by conductive paths provided between posts 18b and edgemounted posts 20 and sockets 21, to which a suitable connector 22,having pin members similar to pin members 14 is connected to providepaths to appropriate external conductors 23.

The scheme shown for accomplishing the extension of conductive pathsbetween posts is one which is particularly adapted to fine wire and thesmaller sizes of insulated conductors used with miniaturized electroniccomponents. This scheme is shown generally in FIGURES 3 and 5, whereinFormvar coated conductive wire is terminated by the use of a taperedpost and sleeve connection of the type described in US. Patent No.3,071,750 to J. C. Heselwood, granted January 1, 196 3, or the typeshown and described in US. patent application No. 201,983, in the nameof the inventor and Carl F. Vieser, filed June 12, 1962, now Patent No.3,249,908. This type of connection has been found to have substantialutility wherein the wire characteristics are such as to make otherpointto-point wiring schemes unsuitable, e.g., Wire-Wrap or soldering.

Turning now to FIGURES 3 and 4, it will be seen that to interconnect agiven module such as 10, the module is positioned over the insulatingboard 12, at an appropriate position which may be marked by some symbolor color corresponding with a mark on the particular module. With themodule pins 14 aligned in accordance with sockets 16, the module is thenforced down onto the board with the pins being inserted in theirrespective sockets. It is this type of use that raises the problems withprior art devices above outlined. For, as will be recognized, bothdimensional and spacing deviations, as well as insertion-withdrawalforces are cumulative with respect to the pins of each module.

In FIGURE 4, an enlarged sectional view of board 12 shows a pin 14positioned above a corresponding socket 30. The socket 301's fittedwithin an aperture 13 in board 12 and is formed in an eyeletconstruction including, as an integral piece of conductive material,upper radial flange 32, larger than aperture 13 and a lower sleeve 34,which is flared outwardly and against the board surface to lock 30within the board. Sockets 30 manufactured of soft copper or brass havebeen found to operate satisfactorily with respect to such forming. It iscontemplated that sleeve 34 may be solid if of a soft metal constructionor split, if relatively hard metal is used. Opposite to flange 32, is apost member 35 ooaxially disposed within sleeve 34 and having a straightsection 36 ended by a tapered section 37, having a number of circularserrations 38 thereon in accordance with the teachings of the abovementioned patent or application. Extending through socket 30 is a bore40, which has at the opening adjacent flange 32, a double step portion42 defining a sleeve 44, which may be folded over, as better indicatedin FIGURE 4a. Inserted within bore 40 and extending along a substantialportion of its length, is a spring member 46 representing one embodimentof the invention. The upper end of spring member 46 includes a radialflange 48, which fits against the lower portion of step 42 and iscaptivated by sleeve 44 folded down thereagainst. The socket 30 may thusbe seen to provide an extremely simple means for locking itself intoboard 12 and also a simple means for locking the associated springmember therewithin. It is to be noted that this socket constructioncomprises only two loose pieces, which favorably compares by aconsiderable margin, with other known devices capable of performing asimilar function.

As will be apparent from FIGURE 4, the relaxed state of spring 46defines a free inner cross-sectional area along its center region, whichis considerably less than the maximum cross-sectional area of pin 14.Addition ally, the inner diameter of the entry portions of spring 46 islarger than the diameter of pin 14. Through this feature, tolerancedeviations in either spring 46 or pin 14, or in their multiplecenter-to-center placement, may be readily arranged with presentmanufacturing know how, such that no accumulation of tolerancedeviationsv can cause pin 14 to fail to expand spring 46 upon insertiontherein.

FIGURE 5 shows module 10 inserted on board 12,. with a pin 14 fullyinserted within a socket 30'. In accordance with the operation of thenovel spring construction, the free end 47 of spring 46 is moveddownwardly 67, and 68.

in bore 4! the spring member being held against relative movement byreason of the engagement of flange 48 thereof, with step 42. Uponwithdrawal of pin 14, flange 44 folded down over 48 operates to preventspring 46 from being dislodged from the socket. As will be describedmore fully in detail, the particular interface defined between thesurface of pin 14 and the surface of individual spring fingers of springmember 46'is achieved with considerable force when the pin is positionedas shown in FIGURE 5. Nevertheless, insertion and withdrawal forces havebeen found to be not so' large as to overly stress the various membersincluding the module 10, the pins thereof, sockets 30 and the springsthereof.

The connection from pin 14 to an auxiliary path such as to an adjacentmodule or to an external circuit is made through the tapered post 36 anda tapered sleeve in the manner more fully described in the abovementioned Heselwoo-d patent or in the application to Fuller and Vieser.This is shown generally in FIGURES 3 and 5 with a sleeve 50 having aninternal taper wedged down over post 36 to force the post serrations38to terminate insulated wire 52 by biting through the insulation thereofinto the center copper conductor. From'F IGURES 1 and 2, it should beapparent that the pin and socket connector of the invention, inconjunction with some means such as the tapered post and sleeve shown,can be employed to interconnect large numbers of distinct electricalpaths. Utilizing connectors of the invention, module boards such as thatshown, have been successfully arranged to provide a reliableinterconnection of thousands of paths with post and socket diameters onthe order of twenty mils and with center-to-center spacing betweenadjacent pin members on the order of fifty mils. This has beenaccomplished with an economy of parts and of assembly labor notheretofore possible.

The reason for the success of the invention is based upon the novelconstruction of the spring member. thereof, which in part, is based upona novel method of forming, which provides an improved resiliency of thespring member and angular disposition of contact area without undulystressing the portions necessary to form the individual spring. Turningnow to FIGURE .6, an enlarged perspective of an embodiment of theinvention including the spring construction above described is shown indetail. As can be seen, the spring 60, which maybe considered asidentical to spring 46 above described, is

formed of one piece to define at either end, tubular portions 62 and 64interconnected by spring arms 66, End 62 represents the free end of thespring adapted for axial movement as above described and end 64-includes a radial extension 70, which serves the --flangefunction forholding the spring within the socket assembly.

As a most important consideration and as shown in FIGURE 6, theindividual spring arms 66, 67 and 68 'include a spiral configurationtapering inwardly toward the center longitudinal axis of spring 60 andat the same time twisting along their length to join tubular portions 62and 64 in planes approaching the planar disposition of the metal at thepoint of juncture. length of arms'66, 67 and 68 is made relatively longas compared with the inner diameter of the spring. Be cause of this, theinner surface of the center of the springs offers to a pin insertedtherein, a possible contact area greater than devices of the prior art.The angular disposition of the spring members relative to their twistresults in a very substantially increased force developed between springand .pin surfaces as the spring is driven to pivot about a longitudinalaxis toward the plane of juncture with supporting tubular portions. Asthe pin member is "inserted within aperture of bore 74, it strikes thespring members 66, 67 and 68 and forces them outward, which in turnoperates to drive end 62 axially away from end 64. This movement, inconjunction with the low incident angle between spring and pin surfaces,assures that in- Additionally, the

inward taper and angular disposition.

the cross-sectional area of a pin member inserted within =6 sertion andwithdrawal forces are not excessive. The provision of three springmernbers tapered inwardly serves as a guide to virtually eliminateorientation problems with respect to the disposition of a pin beinginserted or withdrawn.

FIGUR'E7 depictsan end-onview of the spring 60,

prior to insertion of pin member'and indicates the configuration of :thespring members with-respect to their As will be seen,

spring'60, could vary quite substantially from a size j-ust larger thanthe' hole76' that appearsin FIGURE 7, to a size approaching aperture74indiameter.

"The foregoing spring characteristics may be more fully understoodby'following the steps used to form the spring. Viewing nowFIGURES8, 9 and10, the novel method of theinvention willbe described with reference toa spring member having'four spring arms 90, 92, 94 and 96,

supported .bymembers 81 and'82. Beginning with a roll of sheet metalstock, as for example beryllium copper alloy No. 'ZS'heat treated to aspring temper, the configuration shown;in FIGURE-'8 may be formed by .astandard blanking operation wherein dies are forced against the. sheetmaterial toremove portions as indicated.

In an act-ual embodiment constructed in accordance with the'invention,the sheet-stock material was 4 mils in thickness T, 148 mils in width Wand 100 mil-sin length L. The slots .84 of removed material were 93 milsin length and 15 mils in width.

Following theblankiingstep resulting in a formed configuration 80, asshown in FIGURE 8, the sheet stock material is then formed as shown' inFIGURE 9, by standard stamping techniques to include a'bow of mils, BLwas mils, and F was'12 mils. "The configuration shown in FIGURE 9 isthen formed in the cylindrical shape shown in FIGURE 10 to have an entrydiameter'EDlarger than the maximum diameter of the particular pin sizeto be used with the device. The relaxed inner diameter ID is madesubstantially less than ,such pindiameter. In the actual sample abovementioned, dimension ED was'28.mils and dimension ID was approximately12 to 14 mils to accommodate a range of pin sizes from 17 to 25 mils indiameter.

It has ,been found that a preferred method of selecting relativedimensions may be employed to' better assure ,proper operation. From thespring characteristics above described, it will be seen that the firstcontrolling factor is .pin diameter or the range of pin diameters to beemployed. Given this and the fact that at least three spring arms arepreferred, a'desired spring force is determined with,respect to the stepof FIGURE 8, by the three variables of spring arm length, width andthickness.

These factors can be varied'within limits to control spring beam lengthand'thus. -the.range of deflection ofthe spring and the angle ofincidence of engagement of spring and pin surfaces. By'firstselectingthe minimum ma- .terial 'thicknesspand slot width which can bepractically .worked, the desired spring force deflection and angle ofincidence can, be simply controlled by adjusting spring arm lengthandthus beam: length. "The most usual'design restriction is one ofcenter-to-cente-r spacing, but

'if sprir g length,is.crit ical, then the otherfactors may .inga pindiameter of 17 to 19 mils.

be manipulated tojachieve the desired characteristics.

.In a further 'actual embodiment-the application requirement called fora connector capable of accommodat- The sheet materialjthickness employedwas 3.5 mils and the spring arm width was made to be 10 mils. It wasfound that by adjusting the spring beam length, different spring setscould be readily achieved, such that following one insertion andwithdrawal, the inner diameter could be set to the proper value. Thus,with a beam length of 70 mils and an inner diameter of 10 mils in thefurther sample it was found that following one insertion and withdrawalof a l7-mil pin, the inner diameter assumed a permanent set of 12 mils.This provided a S-mil beam deflection.

The forming of spring socket as shown in FIGURE 10, is accomplished byrolling the structure shown in FIGURE 9 to closure about spacedcylindrical mandrels forced against the upper surfaces of the members 81and 82 of sheet 80. Through this forming operation, which is relativelyeasily accomplished by standard manufacturing techniques, the individualarms of the spring assume the configuration shown with the featuresabove described without requiring a subsequent step of twisting thetubular end members 81 and 82. It has been found that as an alternativeto the step indicated in FIGURE 9, the sheet 80 formed as shown inFIGURE 8, can be first rolled and then clinched inwardly .to define thebow of the same relative dimensions B and BL. This too is accomplishedwithout twisting the tubular members 81 and 82, relative to each other.With either method the avoidance of twisting permits the spring to bemounted with one end relatively free for axial and rotary movement as isrequired to achieve the characteristics above described. With eithermethod the advantage of the spiral disposition of the spring arms inproviding an increased contact area is achieved.

If the particular pin and socket application demands a throughconnection, wherein pin members are inserted in sockets from either sideof a common insulating mounting block or if a greater insertion andwithdrawal force is desired, other constructions are available utilizingthe principles above defined. FIGURES 11, 12 and 13 show an embodimentof the invention for such use. In FIG- URE 11, 100 represents a sheetstock material which has been suitably blanked in the manner abovedescribed to define slots 102 and 104 joining end members 106 and 110,and a central member 108. Between each of the slots 102 and 104 aportion of metal, as above described, is left to define separate sets ofspring arms 112 and 114. The material blanked as shown in FIGURE 11 isthen bowed as shown in FIGURE 12, with each of the separate springmembers 112 and 114 formed inwardly in the manner above described. Onend 110 a turned up flange 116 is provided to lock the spring memberagainst relative movement in a suitable socket member, which is similarto the above described socket 30. Following the step shown in FIGURE 12,material 100 is then rolled as shown in FIGURE 13, to form a springmember having two sets of spring arms, each of which includes thedesirable features above described. It is to be noted that the twists ofthe spring arms 112 and 114 are oppositely oriented. This feature hasbeen found to provide a still better mechanical holding of a pin memberwithin the spring due to inward forces having vectors in oppositedirections.

Additionally, and in certain uses, the socket shown in FIGURE 13 may beutilized to interconnect separate pin members inserted from either endthereof. In such event it may be convenient to form a holding flangesimilar to 116, by folding member 108 in a closed U- shapedconfiguration. In such use ends 106 and 110 would be left free to expandoutwardly. The spring formed in accordance with FIGURES 11, 12 and 13could, of course, have slots of similar sense of rotation if such isdesired and could be formed by a final step of clinching rather than thestep shown in FIGURE 12.

A further aspect of the invention is shown in FIG- URES 14, 15 and 16,wherein a section of sheet metal material 120, is shown blanked todefine slots 121 and spring arms 122, 124 and 126. The spring arms areinterconnected between end portions 128 and 130. The sheet is furtherblanked proximate end 130 to define projections 132 extending outwardlytherefrom. The sheet material 120 after blanking, is further formed withthe arms being bowed as shown in FIGURE 15 andthereafter rolled into theconfiguration shown in FIG- URE 16. The flanges 132 serve as anchoringportions similar to flange 48, as above described with respect toFIGURES 4 and 4a. As indicated in FIGURE 16a, the end tubular portions128 and 130 are formed in a square configuration, which feature could,of course, be employed with any of the preceding spring embodiments. Byhaving square end portions, the center-to center spacing between springsmay be reduced.

A comparison of FIGURES 8 and 14 will reveal that with sheet materialblanked in continuous lengths, any number of ranges of connector sizesmay be accommodated by merely selecting the number of arms necessary andthe particular tubular configuration desired. Thus, for a given pinsize, four legs may be selected to provide a suitable spring diameter.For a larger pin, five or six legs may be used with an appropirate rollof tubular end portions. This operates to provide wide utility of usefor the stock material in its basic form.

FIGURES 17, 18 and 19 show an alternative embodiment wherein the novelspring construction of the invention is formed in a pin configurationrather than in a socket configuration. The method of manufacture issubstantially the same. Beginning with sheet stock material 140,blanking operations are carried out to pro vide slots 141, defining legs142, 144 and 146 separated and interconnected to end portions 148 and150. The end of portion 150 is preferably blanked as shown with Vnotches defining ends 152 and the sheet material formed as shown inFIGURE 18 to include a bowed portion with ends 152 turned downwardly.Thereafter, the formed sheet material is then rolled around acylindrical mandrel to form a pin member with spring arms bowedoutwardly rather than inwardly. As will be apparent from FIGURE 19, theblanked configuration of end 150 including members 152, in conjunctionwith the folding as shown in FIGURE 18 and rolling as shown in FIG- URE19, defines a pin member 162 tapered so as to avoid any possibility ofthe pin catching upon the edges of the aperture in which it is inserted.The opposite end 148 is formed in a tubular configuration 154, which isconvenient to receive one of the leads of an electronic component whichmay be crimped or soldered thereto in a suitable fashion. The usualconstruction calls for the pin member 162 thus formed to be mounted in aphenolic or other insulating board upon which the particular electroniccomponents are mounted with the bore 154 protruding through the boardand attached to a component lead. Thereafter, the whole assembly ispotted by molding insulating dielectric material therearound to form amodule as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. If desired, anchoring spurs orflanges may be included along 148 to better serve the pin member.

FIGURE 20 shows a module with a single pin 162 extending therefrom andaligned over an insulating board 164 having an aperture 166, in which issecured a socket member 168 in the same manner as socket 30',

described with respect to FIGURE 4. Socket 168 includes a tapered postportion 169, which may be terminated as above described, and a centrallongitudinal bore 170. The bore 170 is sized to be smaller than themaximum diameter of pin 162 and slightly larger than the minimum outerdiameter of the pin. With this arrangement interconnection betweenmodules and other modules or components or external circuits may beaccomplished with the disconnect function in the manner above describedwith yet a further reduction in the number of loose pieces which must behandled.

While the embodiment of the invention has been shown with respect toelectronic component module boards, it

is fully contemplated that the various embodiments of pin and socket maybe utilized separately or in smaller numbers to perform interconnectingfunctions between electrical signal paths. The emphasis of theadvantages of the invention has been stressed with respect to smallerconductors in smaller sizes, wherein the particular advantages of theinvention are most useful. It is also contemplated, however, that theassembly of the invention can be utilized with larger sizes with anappreciable economy over existing connectors of the prior art.

The particular means of performing point-to-point wiring has been shownto be a tapered post and sleeve construction in accordance with theabove mentioned patent. It is also contemplated that otherpoint-to-point wiring schemes may be accommodated by altering theconstruction of the sockets to include, rather than a tapered post,other configurations of terminals. For example, a solid Wire-Wrap postcould be provided to accommodate either Wire-Wrap or to accommodateclipon type connections.

It is further contemplated that rather than, or in addition to,point-to-point wiring, printed circuit paths on the insulating membercould directly interconnect to different socket members by directengagement with one of the flange members thereof.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art andvarious apparently different modifications and embodiments may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forthin the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by wayof illustration only.

I claim:

1. An improved method for forming pin or socket spring members of thetype having an axis of travel to provide engagement for electricalconnection comprising the steps of blanking a flat sheet of relativelythin metal material to define a configuration including end portionshaving the length thereof extending in a direction transverse to theaxis of travel with said end portions being spaced apart and joined bymaterial blanked to define a plurality of slots and a plurality of arms,with a slot disposed between each arm of a width equal to or greaterthan the width of an arm and with the slots and arms being generallyparallel to each other and diagonal to the axis of travel such that theperimeter of said configuration is generally rhomboidal, stamping thesaid arms into an arcuate configuration in a direction transverse to theaxis of travel and rolling said blanked and stamped sheet material to apoint of abutment of the edges of the end portions to define tubularportions of substantially the same diameter joined together by helicallydisposed arms.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the said step of stamping is in adirectionn to leave said arms bowed inwardly following said step ofrolling to thereby define a socket spring member.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the said step of stamping is in adirection to leave said arms bowed outwardly following said step ofrolling to define a pin spring member.

4. An improved method of forming spring members of the type having anaxis of travel to provide engagement for electrical connectioncomprising the steps of blanking a flat sheet of relatively thin metalmaterial into a configuration including end portions having the lengththereof disposed transverse to said axis of travel with said endportions being spaced apart and joined by material blanked to define aplurality of slots and a plurality of arms, with a slot disposed betweeneach arm of a width equal to or greater than the width of an arm andwith the slots and arms being parallel to each other and diagonal to theaxis of travel such that the said configuration forms a generallyrhomboidal shape, rolling said blanked material to .a point of abutmentof the edges of the end portions to form said end portions into tubularportions of substantially the same diameter at the ends thereof joinedby said arms in a configuration spirally disposed about the longitudinalcenter axis of said tubular portions and then clenching said arms to aninward position by force applied transverse to the said axis of travel.

5. As an article of manufacture for an electrical receptacle, aone-piece member of conductive material having spring characteristicsincluding substantially planar first and second support portions of thesame length with the length axes parallel to each other, at least threearms of the same length extending between said support portions, thesaid arms being spaced apart by slots at least as wide as the width ofan arm, with the said arms being of a width substantially greater thanthe thickness thereof and of a length substantially greater than thewidth thereof, the length axes of said slots and said arms beingsubstantially parallel to each other and disposed so as to diagonallyintersect the length axis of the said first and second portions toprovide a generally rhomboidal shape to the perimeter of said member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,376,735 5/1921Stalhane et a1. 1l31 19 1,833,145 11/1931 Wilhelm. 2,004,076 6/ 1935Knutson 1131 19 2,024,388 12/ 1935 Rabezzana 1131 19 2,593,479 4/1952Nieter 33917 2,996,026 8/1961 Batcheller 113119 3,039,076 6/1962 Aymar339252 3,071,750 1/1963 Heselwood 339-97 3,086,190 4/1963 Neidecker et'al. 339252 X 3,156,517 11/1964 Maximoff et al 339220 FOREIGN PATENTS110,194 7/1928 Austria.

881,186 1/1943 France.

909,594 4/ 1954 Germany.

22,476 12/ 1961 Germany. 649,447 10/ 1951 Great Britain.

10,505 12/ 1899 Sweden. 138,117 4/1930 Switzerland. 151,479 3/ 1932Switzerland.

0 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Examiner.

R. E. MOORE, R. J. HERBST, Assistant Examiners.

1. AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR FORMING PIN OR SOCKET SPRING MEMBERS OF THETYPE HAVING AN AXIS OF TRAVEL TO PROVIDE ENGAGEMENT FOR ELECTRICALCONNECTION COMPRISING THE STEPS OF BLANKING A FLAT SHEET OF RELATIVETHIN METAL MATERIAL TO DEFINE A CONFIGURATION INCLUDING END PORTIONSHAVING THE LENGTH THEREOF EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THEAXIS OF TRAVEL WITH SAID END PORTIONS BEING SPACED APART AND JOINED BYMATERIAL BLANKED TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF SLOTS AND A PLURALITY OF ARMS,WITH A SLOT DISPOSED BETWEEN EACH ARM OF A WIDTH EQUAL TO OR GREATERTHAN THE WIDTH OF AN ARM AND WITH THE SLOTS AND ARMS BEING GENERALLYPARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND DIAGONAL TO THE AXIS OF TRAVEL SUCH THAT THEPERIMETER OF SAID CONFIGURATION IS GENERALLY RHOMBOIDAL, STAMPING THESAID ARMS INTO AN ARCUATE CONFIGURATION IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THEAXIS OF TRAVEL AND ROLLING SAID BLANKED AND STAMPED SHEET MATERIAL TO APOINT OF ABUTMENT OF THE EDGES OF THE END PORTIONS TO DEFINE TUBULARPORTIONS OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIAMETER JOINED TOGETHER BY HELICALLYDISPOSED ARMS.